Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday: My 10 Favorite Graphic Novels

This week's TTT on The Broke & The Bookish is sort of a freebie, asking for your Top 10 in X Setting, but I couldn't decide on a specific setting so I twisted it around to fit my own needs lol. I decide to do my 10 favorite graphic novels, because I think a lot of people discount them as not real books or "just silly comics". But trust me, you can get just as much out of a good graphic novel as you would a straight written book. And if you share my love for GN, please comment...I always need/want new suggestions!

1. Saga by Brian K Vaughan --star-crossed lovers fighting a war between worlds. Romeo & Juliet meet Star Wars. However you want to put it, this is a great series for lovers of fantasy/science fiction.

2. Friends With Boys by Faith Erin Hicks --I so wish Hicks would turn this into a series or at least do a sequel. I adored this coming-of-age story about Maggie and her brothers. Teens starting their freshman year of high school would connect with this story best.
*Bonus: New York Four (And Five) by Brian Wood is a similar story about dealing with your freshman year of college. :)

3. Echo by Terry Moore --Terry Moore loves to write about and draw women. And he's quite good at it (though a little overly-voluptuous sometimes). I've talked about my love for Strangers in Paradise before, but Echo is a really good one too. It'd be perfect for someone more interested in science and how things work.

4. Locke & Key by Joe Hill --I've still only read the first two in this series but it is phenomenal so far. My dad keeps asking me if I've read the next two so he can borrow them lol. If you love being scared and freaked out, this is the series for you.

5. Chew by John Layman --this is another new series for me and I've only read the first one but really enjoyed it. About a detective who gets clues from what he eats and all the problems and indigestion this causes. If you gross out easily, this is NOT the series for you lol.

6. Sandman by Neil Gaiman --I can't have a top 10 list of graphic novels and not include this, it would be sacrilegious. I *think* this is the first GN my dad made me read, back in high school. It was definitely my first Gaiman. I know a lot of people suggest you start with one of the later volumes, but I can't remember which one.

7. The Unwritten by Mike Carey --this is the graphic novel for literary junkies, bibliophiles, book nerds. Think if Harry Potter actually were The Boy Who Lived...in real life. That is what Tom Taylor is dealing with. His dad used him as inspiration for his books and now his fans think Tom is the real deal. And maybe he is? The series has its ups and downs, but stick with it. The last one I read, the fifth, was the absolute best.


8. Fables by Bill Willingham --this is another one I read mostly in high school and actually stopped at Vol 11 (they're on 20 now!) and really loved. It's all fairytale retellings...Rose Red & Snow White, Bigby Wolf, Jack of all trades, etc. (Side note, my dad named one of their cats Bigby lol) There is an adult twist to a lot of the tales, so I wouldn't recommend this for a younger teen, but older to adult definitely. Especially if you have a love for fairytales.

9. Runaways by Brian K Vaughan --these were some of the first books I rated on Goodreads, back in 2008! I loved this series & would really like to do a reread of it soon. In this young adult series, 6 kids find out their parents are Super Villains and try to deal with it.

10. Y: The Last Man by Brian K Vaughan --if you are a dystopian lover (and I know there are lots of you out there! :)), this is THE GN for you! A plague has killed off the entire male species (human, animals, everything) except for one man and his monkey. :)


10 comments:

  1. So, I've actually NEVER read a graphic novel. Can you believe that? I think I probably need to at least TRY one before I dismiss them completely. Thanks for the recommendations!

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    1. Oh yes, absolutely give them a try! There are so many good & different ones out there now. Thanks for stopping by! :)

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  2. Excuse me, but all three of our cats names came from Fables!

    Dad

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    1. Hah! Oops...see, it's been so long since I've read them, I totally forgot!
      Correction: my dad named their cats Bigby, Bufkin (my fave), & Cindy after Fables! :)

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  3. I haven't read many, but I really liked Maus and Johnny the Homicidal Maniac.

    My TTT.

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    1. Wow, those both look really good! Thanks for the suggestions and for stopping by. :)

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  4. What a great idea, focusing on graphic novels. I'm another reader who hasn't picked up a GN, although I've come across some excellent looking ones from these weekly Top Tens. "Runaways" sounds particularly interesting; I love the idea of parents being super villains instead of heroes. Added to my Goodreads pile!

    Thanks for stopping by my TTT earlier.

    Erin @ YA Book Crush

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    1. I'm glad you found something interesting here, I hope you enjoy them! :)

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  5. I LOVE that you focused on Graphic Novels! I've never read one, although I really want to! I don't think they're just stupid comics, either, but I'll admit I have yet to enjoy a book that's based on speech bubbles and pictures mostly. I totally get the hype and I'd love to love, but until now nothing comic-like has really amazed me.
    What I actually wanted to say, though (it always takes me a while to get to the point) was that I will totally use your TTT to find a couple of Graphic novels that will hopefully, finally make me fall in love with the genre :D

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    1. You have to find the right GN for you to start with, there are so many different ones out there now, it's pretty easy.
      And wait! You love Vampire Academy right? (I think I've heard that once or twice lol) Maybe start with those! :) They're a great companion to the series.

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